Central Maine Man Pleads Guilty in Shocking 2024 Killing

A 42-year-old man from Waterville had pled guilty to killing his roommate just a few days before his trial was supposed to start.

According to an article on the KJ website, Thomas Lowrie formally entered a guilty plea Tuesday at the Capital Judicial Center.  However, he reportedly did so using what’s known as an Alford plea.  That means he maintains his innocence while accepting the same legal consequences as a guilty plea.

When Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy asked for his plea to one count of murder, Lowrie replied simply, “Guilty, your honor.”

Prosecutor Bud Ellis, an assistant attorney general, then laid out what the state says happened and what evidence would have been presented at trial.  When Ellis was finished, Lowrie replied that sounded "about right".

Under the plea agreement, Lowrie admitted to killing 43-year-old Charles Bellows on August 18, 2024.  The deal caps his sentence at 35 years in prison.  Sentencing is expected to take place in April.

Court records show that the day of the killing and Lowrie’s arrest, detectives searched his home on Cool Street and found human remains in bags.  Additional remains later confirmed to be Bellows’ were found in another bag.  Investigators also documented multiple stab and slash wounds and recovered a spear believed to be consistent with the weapon used.

After questioning Lowrie in court, Justice Murphy said she was satisfied he understood what he was doing and that the plea was entered voluntarily.

Lowrie is being held at the Kennebec County jail and will probably stay there until his sentencing.